Kansas and Missouri Compete For Boeing 777X Plant

Kansas and Missouri Compete For Boeing 777X Plant

When labor contract negotiations stalled in Washington, Boeing began to look for a new home for the production of the 777X jetliner, prompting more than a dozen states, including Kansas and Missouri, to prepare bids to entice the aircraft giant to relocate.

In Missouri, Governor Jay Nixon called a special session of the general assembly to prepare an incentive package which could reach $1.7 billion over 20 years. The total amount of incentives would depend on the number of jobs created.

Kansas has also prepared a bid but has done so privately. Kansas lost more than 2000 jobs last year when Boeing pulled out of Wichita, prompting criticism of the company’s loyalty and longevity. Wichita area lawmaker Jim Ward went so far as to call Boeing the “poster child of corporate tax incentives.”